Bedclothes storing and dispensing apparatus



L 1967 H. E. MCNEAL 3,344,444

BEDCLOTHES STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 10, 1965 HUGH E. MCNEAL INVENTOR.

Townsend w Townsend United States Patent 3,344,444 BEDCLOTHES STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Hugh E. McNeal, Spring Valley, Calif, assignor of twenty-five percent to Hugh E. McNeal, twenty-five percent to Carol E. Norton, both of Spring Valley, twenty-five percent to Dianna E. Garcia, Lemon Grove, and twenty-five percent to Fred M. McNeal, San Francisco, Calif.

Filed Nov. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 507,169 6 Claims. (Cl. 317) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A housing to be employed in combination with a conventional bed and at least one blanket for covering the bed. The housing is provided with a hinged closure panel and contains a roller having a length somewhat in excess of the width of the blanket. One marginal edge of the blanket is attached to the roller and the blanket is wound thereon for storage in the housing. When it is desired to employ the blanket as a covering for the bed, the closure panel is raised and the blanket unrolled from the roller.

This invention relates to apparatus for placement at the foot end of a bed for storing therein and dispensing bedclothes therefrom for use by the user of the bed.

The specific embodiment of the invention described in detail hereinafter includes a cabinet or housing elongated in a horizontal direction and having a length in such direction somewhat in excess of the width of a bed. A roller of suitable length is mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis within the cabinet. Mechanism for rotatively driving or biasing the roller is provided. Secured to the roller is one marginal edge of a blanket or like article of bedclothes which is wound onto the roller for storage and unwound therefrom for covering the bed.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for expediting the making of a bed. This object is achieved by the apparatus of the present invention because blankets and other bedding can be quickly wound onto the roller and contained or concealed in the cabinet. Such can be accomplished quickly because the present invention provides a driving mechanism for winding the blanket onto the roller.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for enabling a sleeper to quickly and easily add or remove bed covering as temperature conditions may require. Attainment of this object enables a sleeper to change the quantity of bedclothes without assuming a fully-awakened condition and is made possible because the apparatus of the invention is adapted for placement immediately adjacent to the foot end of a bed.

A further object of the invention, one particularly important in hotels, motels and like quarters for transients, is that the bedclothes are securely affixed so as to prevent pilfering, and yet are readily available for their intended use.

Other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent on referring to the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a conventional bed with the apparatus of the present invention disposed at the foot end of the bed;

FIG. 2 is a partial' perspective view of the bedclothes cabinet of the present invention with certain portions being broken away to reveal interior details;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 33 of FIG. 1;

3,344,444 Patented Oct. 3, 1967 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the apparatus taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detail view of one form of roll-driving apparatus of the present invention and is taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5a is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing an alternate roll-driving mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a detail view of the end of the roller showing mechanism permitting use of an electric blanket in the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the apparatus of the present invention showing a specially configured bedclothes article.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral 12 indicates a blanket or like article of of bedclothes, shown in FIG. 1 in overlying relationship to a bed B of conventional form. Blanket 12 includes a head end or marginal edge 14 and a foot end or marginal edge 16, which latter end is secured to an elongate roller 18. FIG. 5a exemplifies one satisfactory expedient for removably attaching foot end 16 of the blanket to roller 18, to wit: A row of screws 20 passed through holes in a rigid strip and complementary holes in the blanket and threadedly engaged in roller 18.

Roller 18 is mounted for rotation along a horizontal axis in a cabinet or housing indicated generally at 22. Cabinet 22 includes end panels 24 and 26, side panels 28 and 30 and a bottom panel 32. A cover panel 34 is attached along one edge thereof for pivotal movement with respect to the top edge of side panel 28 by hinges 36 of conventional form. The pivotal connection formed by hinges 36 is adapted to permit cover panel 34 to be pivoted completely free of the top opening of cabinet 22 so as to afford unrestricted access to the interior of the cabinet. Cabinet 22 is completed by means for supporting the cabinet at a height somewhat below the top surface of bed B, such means exemplified in the drawings by legs 38. Cabinet 22 can be formed permanent attachment to bed B.

It will now be understood, with blanket 12 wound on roller 18 and top panel 34 in a closed position (see FIG. 2), that the blanket is enclosed and'protected, that an attractive and neat appearance is afforded by the cabinet, and that bed B can be quickly made up without attention to blanket 12. When it is desired to move blanket 12 into overlying relationship to bed B, cover 34 is pivoted to the opened position, and blanket 12 is unrolled to the posi tion shown in FIG. 1. The foregoing can be easily accomplished either by one standing adjacent to the bed or by one sitting in the bed.

For rotatively driving shaft 18 to permit trewinding of blanket 12 onto the roller after use of the blanket, there is shown by way of example in FIG. 5, a coil spring 40 disposed in a cylindric chamber 42 formed in the end of roller 18 coaxially therewith. Also carried in the end of roller 18 is a shaft 44 mounted for rotation relative to the roller and mounted coaxially with the roller. Coil spring 40 is disposed in circumscribing relation to shaft 44 and has one end thereof secured to the shaft and the other end thereof secured to roller 18 interior of cylindric chamber 42. Spring 40 is so arranged to bias roller 18 in a clockwise sense as viewed in FIG. 4 so as to drive the roller in a direction to wind blanket 12 thereon. Side panel 24 is formed with a socket 46 for supporting the outer end of shaft 44 in fixed or non-rotative relation to the side panel.

Secured to shaft 44 interior of cylindric chamber 42 is a mechanism for fixing the rotative position of roller 18 against the force of spring 40. Such mechanism is here exemplified by a toothed wheel 50 mounted on shaft 44 and resilient arm 48 having a dog engageable with toothed wheel 50 so that the toothed Wheel is locked against rotation except when revolved at a high speed. Thus, it will be seen that blanket 12 can be unwound to a desired position and there retained by engagement of arm 48 with toothed wheel 50 against the force of coil spring 40. When it is desired to rewind blanket 12 onto roller 18 it is only necessary to unwind blanket 12 a small additional amount suflicient to release the dog from engagement with the valley of a tooth in toothed wheel 50, at which time the force of coil spring 40 rotatively drives roller 18 at a relatively high speed to rewind blanket 12.

An alternate mechanism for rotatively driving roller 18 is shown in FIG. a and includes a shaft 52 receivable in an opening 53 centrally or coaxially of roller 18 and having formed on its outer end exterior of cabinet 22 crank handle 54. One desiring to rewind blanket 12 onto the roller need only turn crank 54 in the appropriate direction to rotatively drive the roller.

In FIG. 6 there is shown schematically a modification of the present invention which permits use of an electric blanket 12a. Electric blanket 12a is of conventional and well-known design and includes a pair of terminal leads S6 for establishing electric contact with the heating elements contained in the blanket. Such leads as shown in FIG. 6 terminate adjacent the foot end of the blanket. Mounted on the end of roller 18 is a pair of concentric conductive rings 58 to which respective terminal leads 56 are connected. Conductive brushes 60 are mounted interior of surface of cabinet 22 by any suitable expedient, not shown, in electrical rubbing contact with respective conductive rings 58. Conductors 62 are provided for connecting the brushes to a conventional control unit 64, which is typically supplied with power from a 60 c.p.s., 110 volt source. It will be seen therefore, that the blanket 12a will be supplied with power for any rotative position of roller 18 and that the heat generated by the blanket can be controlled in a conventional way by controller 64. Because blanket 12a is secured to roller 18 by screws 20, the problem of possible pilferage of the relatively expensive electric blanket is eliminated.

A further modification of the invention is shown in FIG. 7 and includes a blanket 12b, the foot end of which is formed with a width approximating that of bed B, whereas the remainder of the blanket is formed of usual width to permit the blanket to overhang the sides of the bed. Such overhanging portions are indicated at 12b and 12b" in the figure. When it is desired to wind blanket 12b onto the roller 18 one need only fold overhanging portions 12b and 12b" onto the main body of the blanket (as indicated at 66) and the winding or rolling blanket 12b onto the roller proceeds as described hereinabove.

Thus it will be seen that the present invention provides a bedclothes-storing and dispensing apparatus which contains a blanket in a convenient and ready-to-use condition, which protects the blanket from soiling during non use, and permits the blanket to be securely affixed so as to avoid loss through pilferage. Moreover, the cabinet constituting part of the invention can be decorated in an attractive manner and functions as a seat or shelf during times of non use of the blanket.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious that other adaptations and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination: with a bed, a blanket for covering the bed, a roller having a length somewhat in excess of the width of the blanket, means for attaching one marginal edge of the blanket to the roller, means for supporting said roller for rotative movement about the longitudinal axis thereof with the axis in a horizontal position so that.

the blanket can be wound onto and unwound from said roller, means for rotatively driving said roller to rewind said blanket thereon, and a housing for containing said roller and blanket, said housing including a closure panel hingedly mounted thereon for affording access to said blanket.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said roller driving means comprises a shaft juornalled for rota. tion in one end of said roller coaxially therewith, means for resiliently rotatively biasing said shaft with respect to said roller, means for fixedly supporting said shaft relative the bed, and means for controllably locking and unlocking said roller with respect to said shaft.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said roller driving means comprises a hand crank having a shaft end mounted coaxially of said roller and a handle end mounted eccentrically thereof.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in combination with means responsive to electric current flow in said blanket for generating heat, said heat generating means terminating adjacent the foot end of said blanket, and means for supplying power to said heat generating means for all extended rotative positions of said roller.

5. In combination: with a bed, a cabinet elongated along a horizontal axis and having a length along such axis approximately equal to the width of a bed, means for mounting said cabinet in fixed relation to the bed adjacent the foot end thereof, a roller mounted in said cabinet for rotative movement along a horizontal axis, means for rotatively driving said roller with respect to said cabinet, a blanket having a foot-end portion of a width approximately equal to the length of said roller, means for attaching said blanket foot-end portion to said roller, said blanket including a main body portion having a width greater than said foot-end portion and greater than the width of the bed so that the lateral margins of said main body portion overhang the bed, said lateral margins being foldable into overlying relation to said main body portion so that said blanket can be wound on said roller.

6. In combination with a bed supported on a floor and having a substantially horizontal top surface spaced therefrom: a cabinet elongated along a horizontal axis and having a length along such axis approximately equal to the width of said bed, said cabinet having a height corresponding to the height of the top surface of the said bed, said cabinet including a horizontal cover panel attached for pivotal movement free of the top of said cabinet to afford unrestricted access to the interior thereof, a roller mounted in said cabinet for rotative movement along a horizontal axis, a blanket for covering said bed and a user, means for attaching one margin of the blanket to said roller so that the blanket can be wound onto and unwound therefrom, means for rotatably driving said roller to wind and unwind said blanket thereon whereby the blanket may be unwound from said roller to provide a covering for a user for the bed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,578,932 3/1926 Smith -290 1,579,115 3/1926 Kebbe 5'16 1,743,638 1/l930 Tefft 219-203 1,985,222 12/ 1934 Menhall 297221 X 2,827,642 3/1958 Huff 53 17 3,001,211 9/ 1961 Goldenthal 5-202 FQREIGN PATENTS 252,491 6/ 1926 Great Britain.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: WITH A BED, A BLANKET FOR COVERING THE BED, A ROLLER HAVING A LENGTH SOMEWHAT IN EXCESS OF THE WIDTH OF THE BLANKET, MEANS FOR ATTACHING ONE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE BLANKET TO THE ROLLER, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID ROLLER FOR ROTATIVE MOVEMENT ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF WITH THE AXIS IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION SO THAT THE BLANKET CAN BE WOUND ONTO AND UNWOUND FROM SAID ROLLER, MEANS FOR ROTATIVELY DRIVING SAID ROLLER TO REWIND SAID BLANKET THEREON, AND A HOUSING FOR CONTAINING SAID ROLLER AND BLANKET, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A CLOSURE PANEL HINGEDLY MOUNTED THEREON FOR AFFORDING ACCESS TO SAID BLANKET. 